American High: “Cheye Calvo” (Music Review)

“In July 2008, a man named Cheye Calvo returned to his suburban home in Maryland after walking one of his dogs. Inside, he found a scene of absolute horror: over a dozen armed and violent intruders had broken into his house. His mother was bound, lying face down on the kitchen floor in tears. Then, Mr. Calvo heard the terrifying screams of his wife; she, too, had been bound and forced face down on the floor. The Calvo family watched in horror as their two beloved dogs were shot and killed; one was shot in the back as he ran away. The intruders spent the next four hours systematically destroying the home. They destroyed furniture, broke cabinets, and tracked the blood of his pets throughout the entire house. When the ordeal was over the assailants simply left. They didn’t even have the common decency to apologize.

The violent intruders were not street gang members. They were not foreign military invaders. They were not ‘illegal aliens’. The intruders were police officers.”

American High has released the very political new single, “Cheye Calvo”, about a very real event that did occur in America. American High are a punk group that is no stranger in dealing with controversial topics. “Cheye Calvo” documents the tragic incident that occurred on July 2008 in which Calvo unexpectedly received a box of marijuana and had his home raided shortly afterward. In the song, American High ask if you support the current drug laws then you support no knock search warrants, which is what happened to Calvo. While the band is anti-drug, they boldly state “If you support the current drug laws as they are you support what happened to Cheye Calvo and to over a hundred people a day in America who are served No Knock search warrants.” Simple as that.

If you enjoy real punk, punk music that makes a statement, American High is one band you should be paying attention to. “Cheye Calvo”. while it centers on one unfortunate victim, is about all innocent victims of no knock search warrants yet the single does strike an optimistic tone with a call to arms attitude that is very punk rock!

About Rob Perez

I come from Long Island, NY where I was born, raised and currently still live. I grew up with New York City literally right next door to me where I get to experience everything great about the greatest city in the world, anytime I want to. Look me up especially if your film tastes are in sync with mine. I enjoy comedies, sci-fi, action, spy thrillers, indie films, just about anything with a decent plot. I've been reviewing music and films for 15 years and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts with MovieBoozer.com.